A 22-acre fire in Thermal that triggered a mobile home park evacuation was fully contained Wednesday morning and roads reopened, but nearly two dozen firefighters stayed on scene to douse any flare-ups.
The non-injury blaze, initially reported as a mulch fire, broke out around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday near Fillmore Street and Avenue 69.
The Riverside County Fire Department sent five dozen personnel to the scene and ordered evacuations on the north side of the Oasis Mobile Home Park in the 88700 block of Avenue 70. A reception center for evacuees was established at Desert Mirage High School. Residents got the all-clear to return about 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The fire was 100% contained just before 10 Wednesday morning and county crews were relieved by 22 firefighters assigned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Riverside County firefighters responded to the scene initially as they have a “direct protection” agreement with the BIA for emergency situations on native land, according to BIA spokesman Ray Ruiz.
Fillmore Street was reopened around 9:15 a.m., according to the Riverside County Department of Transportation.
The fire was roughly 10 miles from a 130-acre blaze that broke out Saturday and was declared fully contained Monday night, though winds stirred flareups within the containment lines Tuesday afternoon.
There was no word on the cause of either fire.